[Todd]

Lexus Debuts its IS 300 Pace Car at the CART FedEx Championship Season Finale


October 24, 2000 - Torrance, CA - A new CART champion won't be the only thing fans can look forward to seeing this weekend at the Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota. A race-modified Lexus IS 300 pace car is scheduled to lead the pack at the CART FedEx Championship season finale, Friday Oct 27 through Sunday Oct. 29, at the California Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

Not quite your traditional Lexus, the bright yellow IS 300 has been outfitted with race and safety modifications to handle the special demands of pacing Champ Car races. The pace car features a 5-speed manual transmission and a Toyota Racing Development (TRD) supercharger, which adds 50 horses for a total of 265 horsepower.

Other modifications in the body-building regimen include a roll cage, race-tuned suspension that hugs the track and provides plenty of nimble handling and driver feedback through Eibach racing coil springs and Bilstein shocks. Increased cornering control is achieved with 18" front and 19" rear BBS wheels and Bridgestone Potenzza 225/35ZR/18 tires in the front and 245/35ZR/19 in the rear while Brembo brakes help keep the IS 300 in check.

Read the whole story... http://www.toyota.com/times/press.html

 

[Black_IS300]

I want the supercharger

 

[oneeyejack]

it might be true..but will WE be able to get it???

 

[mrclam]

of course you can get one. don't expect it to be warrantied though. if you want to make serious power your warranty is out the window and remember that things will break, OFTEN. a lot of supra owners have consistent problems with getting their dawgs running all the time, they need shops to fix all the little kinks probably monthly if not more often.

 

[TEG]

Thanks Todd, interesting info!

I the L-Tuned news doesn't mention the supercharger so perhaps that "kit" was a one-of-a-kind job done for the pacecar.

At least we know for sure that some people inside of TRD are thinking seriously about upgrades for the IS300.

 

[SupraSport]

Originally posted by mrclam:
of course you can get one. don't expect it to be warrantied though. if you want to make serious power your warranty is out the window and remember that things will break, OFTEN. a lot of supra owners have consistent problems with getting their dawgs running all the time, they need shops to fix all the little kinks probably monthly if not more often.

Where you hear this from? 57k miles + 20k miles at higher boost and I have yet to have a problem with my engine and tranny. Ive got a few friends with over 100k miles on their Supras and they never had a major problem..routine maintance is the key I guess. The higher horsepowered cars (+500rwhp) dont even see the shops as often as you say but they are closer to lines of disaster, most cars are at that level. Most of those guys have the money to play. Dont expect the same results..the tranny is totally different and the engine has some differances also.


------------------
KP
94 6 speed
BPU


[This message has been edited by SupraSport (edited October 25, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by SupraSport (edited October 25, 2000).]

 

[mrclam]

yeah i suppose, maybe a bit of my info is a bit exagerated, but everytime i heard abuot a run from warren, something ALWAYS HAPPENS. also on supraforums, there's always something that blew, some crap that got screwed....one guy commented in a recent post that 3 out of 5 supras blow a major part after being at BPU for likea year or two, or something like that

 

[SupraSport]

Well Warren is different compared to the rest of us..he owns 2 Supras, one is a daily driven BPU car running a low 12 and the other is a drag car capable of high 9s-low 10s. He loves to take his Supras to the limit, he knows the consequences of what can happen and is willing to pay the price and he has. Hes now in search of a 3rd Supra which he wants to build as a road course car.

3 out 5 cars blow something major? Most those guys on there are enthusiasts and being a enthusiast they take good care of their cars. Alot of them buy them used, like myself, but the previous owner may have treated them like dogs (ie, no cool down after driving, no oil change at 3k, ect..) Ive been on Supra Forums since its started and im on 2 MKIV mail lists for the past 2-3 years learning. Honestly speaking Ive never heard that many of our cars having problems and there are only about 700 of us that are performance enthusiaists. But I know problem issues are always the ones to stand out.

Sorry fellas for getting off topic on Supra crap. I know this isnt really the place for it

[This message has been edited by SupraSport (edited October 25, 2000).]

 

[SupraSport]

Back to the topic:

My friend works for Toyota in Torrance and is helping out in this project. He mentioned its running on a Motec..for those that dont know it cost about $4-5k (roughly $2k for install), its basically a computer that controls everything.

The car is still in tuning phase and just recently dyno'd at 252rwhp..which is about 300hp at the crank. And they just now added a air to water intercooler. Ill get him to take pics of everything and have him post them up.
------------------
KP
94 6 speed
BPU

[This message has been edited by SupraSport (edited October 25, 2000).]

 

[HIBBoyScott]

Originally posted by SupraSport:
Back to the topic:

My friend works for Toyota in Torrance and is helping out in this project. He mentioned its running on a Motec..for those that dont know it cost about $4-5k (roughly $2k for install), its basically a computer that controls everything.

The car is still in tuning phase and just recently dyno'd at 252rwhp..which is about 300hp at the crank. And they just now added a air to water intercooler. Ill get him to take pics of everything and have him post them up.

U talking about Mani?

 

[JW]

Those bums at TRD...I think they had a supercharged Solara and supercharged GS (I don't remember if it was the 300 or 400) in the past few years serving as pace cars...and it took them a while to get that Solara blower out...

 

[SupraSport]

Yea im talking about Mani. If you know Mani hes a stand up guy and is one of the most craziest drivers this side of the west coast. He also hosts the yearly sports car meet in LA..the IS3 guys should come out to the next one.

 

[Daniel]

Liked they said, race track is where they invent new technology. Many of today's car technologies were first used on Champ Car, F1, and other race cas before they were brought to us. I think TRD just want to know how the car does under the severe condition of racing. I know this is only a pace car, but have you seen what they do with the pace cars at track? For those of you that haven't been to races, they will actually take people who has sponsor the teams or famous and take them around the take at near top speed. They do this over and over and over when nothing is going on the track. I think this is the best test you can have before selling whatever products they want to the consumers.
Now I just wondering who are the lucky fellows that get to ride in the supercharged IS.

 

[superdx]

Aren't all TRD parts covered under warranty?

 

[ADREY]

anyone ones if this race will be televised, so that we can all see the pace car, and if so what station/time/date???

 

[oh-dawg]

Not to burst anyone's bubble.. but Toyota Racing (not TRD) also built a supercharged GS400 to run as a pace car, but that kit was never produced.. granted, the IS IS a much more performance oriented car and the target market would be much more receptive to the idea..

 

[SPM]

The 500 Presented by Toyota
California Speedway, Fontana, Calif.
Local Start Time: 11:30 a.m. Pacific
Broadcast: 2:30-6 p.m. Eastern ESPN


I'll be at the race on Sunday and will try to take some pictures of the car and post them. They usually have about 8-10 different pace cars used throughout different parts of the weekend races. The IS may not be the main pace car used during the televised race.

Steve
(should take delivery of my IS duing the 1st week of november-had to wait about 4 weeks)

 

[Daniel]

That blue GS was so sweet when they had it on the track. My brother and I werer sitting in the grand stand when they were having the pace car show (that's what I call them). The car just sounded so good, and I am almost certained that they were running open piped (hey, it is a race track, no one care about emission that much). That car was really fast, and I was so jealous of the people who were lining up to ride those pace cars. They also had a TRD supra as well taking people around the track.
Anyway, I'll be in the pit and garage this saturday. I'll take some pictures if I can get close to it.